My family loves camping but sometimes the kids get bored. A Camping Scavenger Hunt keeps everyone busy and helps fill the day with fun and discovery. We try to get in two or three camping trips each year and it usually goes something like this – We pack up our bags, load up the camper, pile into the vehicle and we’re off! We arrive at the campsite, bust from the vehicle, pop up the camper, and unpack the bins. Now what? The kids run like crazy but in a matter of minutes they can be bored. Sometimes it takes a little prodding or an invitation to hit the hiking trails or some other clever trick to keep my brood occupied. I’m all for giving my children some down-time and I firmly believe a little boredom is actually a good thing for them, but I do like to have ideas stored up to keep our camping outings fun, interesting and memorable.
A couple years back we took a 2-week long camping trip out west and after 4 states and several different campsites and day after day of rocky, sandy desert-like views, our children were needing a little help filling their time with new distractions. And so our Camping Scavenger Hunt was born! I quickly made a list of several things I thought the kids might be able to find in and around our campsite that day – such as pine cones and squirrels and butterflies. Around the campfire that night they shared their discoveries and tales.
The next morning, everyone was up and ready to begin scavenging new finds. Their eyes were open and minds alert for new and exciting discoveries. Since that first impromptu scavenger hunt, I’ve been a little more prepared and my family often has ‘scavenger hunt sheets’ included on our packing list. They sometimes create their own, they sometimes ask for me to give them a list. It’s become a family tradition. I’ve created this printout for you to use on your next camping trip or even a day in the great outdoors.
Click Here to Download the Camping Scavenger Hunt
I’m sharing this post at the Summer Family Fun Linky Party and some of these wonderful places.
What a wonderful idea – and I love how you can do these at home in your neighbourhood too – thanks for the printable!
thanks, Clare and you are very welcome 🙂 – you are so right, this idea is adaptable to almost anything! we had one yesterday for our daughter’s birthday, I made for a family reunion a couple years ago. A walk in the neighborhood or at the local park is a great idea. So glad you stopped by this morning, enjoy your day!
A great way to get children to really look at what’s around them!
It really does help sharpen those observation skills 🙂 Blessings on this summer day!
Love this idea! I could use this on a nature walk, too.
Yes, you could Barb! This activity could easily be adapted to several different situations. Thanks for stopping by, and for spear-heading this Summer Family Fun Series 🙂
scavenger hunts are so much fun. The other day I went for a walk and met a family doing a scavenger hunt. the little girl was so excited.
It’s so fun to watch the kids as they seek and discover 🙂